Brown (Chris Brown album)

For Brown's debut studio album from 2005, see Chris Brown (album).

Brown
Studio album by Chris Brown
Released	May 8, 2026 (2026-05-08)
Genre	R&B
Length	92:05
Labels	RCA CBE
Producers	8een ADP Aye YB Nico Baran Miles Barker Jonathan Bellion Bigg D Jesse Blocker III Paul Cabbin CashMoneyAP Chrishan Kevin Cossom Drew80HD Ebby Fraka Fresh Jamal Gaines Sondre Haftorsen John Hajek Clifton Haralson Hitmaka Hossy Juberlee Kabeh Keyflo Kofo Kyduh Lamb Benjamin Lasnier Layrz Lee Major Lou Xtwo Metro Boomin Sean Momberger The Monsters & Strangerz Daniel Moras Antonio Moses Murphykid Music Major Osa Ryan Press Q-Beatz RiotUSA RoccStar RockBoyBeats Gabriel Roland Kristian Rosendal Hunter Sallis Alan Sampson Skeez SkipOnDaBeat SprngBrk Tay Keith TenRoc Troy Taylor U the Goat TSB T-Town The Underdogs Dashon Vincent Ken Will WillOnnaBeat Jirou Williams Wlcm Xris Keys
Chris Brown chronology
11:11 (2023) Brown (2026)
Singles from Brown
"Holy Blindfold" Released: June 13, 2025 "It Depends" Released: July 25, 2025 "Obvious" Released: April 10, 2026 "Fallin'" Released: May 1, 2026

Brown (stylized in all caps and a backronym of Break Rules Only When Necessary) is the twelfth studio album by American singer-songwriter Chris Brown. It was released on May 8, 2026, by RCA Records and CBE. The album features guest appearances from fellow singer-songwriters Bryson Tiller, Fridayy, Leon Thomas, Lucky Daye, Tank, and Vybz Kartel, alongside guest contributions from American rappers GloRilla, Sexyy Red, and YoungBoy Never Broke Again. Production on the album was handled by RoccStar, Chrishan, The Underdogs, Metro Boomin, Tay Keith, and Troy Taylor, among others. The deluxe edition, titled “Brown: The Chocolate Edition”, was released on June 19, 2026, featuring guest appearances from WizKid, Ty Dolla Sign, and longtime collaborator Tyga.

Four singles preceded the album's release: "Holy Blindfold", "It Depends", "Obvious", and "Fallin'".

Musically, Brown is an R&B album that incorporates a diverse range of influences while maintaining a core R&B sound. The lyrical content explores themes of sexual desire, romantic love, resilience and introspection. The album cover artwork features the singer in a pose that was interpreted as an homage to old-school R&B artists.

Brown debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200, making it his thirteenth consecutive top-ten album in the country. It received mixed to negative reviews from music critics. To support the album, Brown is scheduled to embark on the co-headlining stadium tour, called “The R&B Tour”, alongside singer Usher.

Background

The album's title, Brown, is a backronym for "Break Rules Only When Necessary", is similar to the naming concept he used for his fourth studio album, F.A.M.E. (2011).

Composition

Brown is primarily an R&B album, incorporating a diverse range of influences across its 27 tracks, reflecting a maximalist approach. Throughout the album, some songs incorporate elements of gospel, trap, dream pop, drill, pop, and dancehall within an R&B-centered sound, while a few tracks feature the singer taking stylistically different directions, exploring blues, alternative rock, and hip-hop. While featuring various influences, the album remains rooted in R&B, particularly across its mid-section and second half. Lyrically, Brown features themes of sexual desire, romantic love, hedonistic confidence, resilience, introspection, and public scrutiny. Across the project, Brown’s vocal performances are characterized by melisma, layered harmonies, and cadence shifts, with occasional rap-inflected delivery and atmospheric use of reverb on vocals.

Songs

The opening track, "Leave Me Alone", co-produced by Metro Boomin, addresses years of public scrutiny and attempts at cancel culture directed at the singer, while alluding to his personal legal controversies and mental health struggles. In the song, he expresses that he is no longer concerned with giving explanations, instead reframing past mistakes as formative experiences that have contributed to his personal growth. The song serves a defiant assertion that the singer now lives on his own terms regardless of media narratives. Musically, "Leave Me Alone" features an expansive structure and multiple beat switches. The R&B mid-tempo track, "Obvious", starts with a talk box and talks about the sexual tension between two prospective lovers. "Honey Pack" leans into trend-driven sexual imagery over a minimalist instrumental, while "It Depends", featuring Bryson Tiller, blends R&B with Bronx drill elements.

"Fallin'", featuring Leon Thomas, is a blues track about being stuck in a cycle of love that the performers cannot shake. "Hate Me" is a gospel-influenced power pallad in which Brown asks a former lover to hate him if it aids her healing process, even stating, "That's probably what I deserve." The track has been interpreted as referencing his relationship with Rihanna, particularly through the line "We were only kids", acknowledging the immaturity and turbulence of their 2009 fallout. "Call Your Name" is a progressive R&B track that transitions into club trap production during the verses by Sexyy Red and GloRilla.

"For the Moment" is an alternative rock track that Billboard described as featuring "vocal filtering in the hook and synths" that suggest Brown "may have been listening to a bunch of old-school alternative bands". "Fuck and Party", featuring Vybz Kartel, blends R&B, reggae, and pop elements, with Brown adopting a patois-influenced vocal delivery. "Red Rum", featuring NBA YoungBoy, merges R&B and trap with hedonistic lyrical themes. "It's Not You It's Me" shifts into more introspective and romantic R&B, reminiscent of Brown's early work, with the singer taking full accountability for the breakdown of a healthy relationship, attributing it to his internal struggles. "Cry for Me" and "Say Nothin'" are R&B tracks. The former was described by Billboard as having "energy to it", while the latter for its vivid sexual storytelling: "it didn't just tell us what was going on, but he created specific imagery to bring us right into his car where a nasty time is going on." "Say Nothin'" also features pitch-shifted vocals in its second verse. "Slow Jamz", featuring Lucky Daye, is a slow-jam duet emphasizing vocal chemistry. "Perfect Timing", featuring Fridayy, incorporates "old school R&B" textures with polished melodic layering.

"In My Head" is a romantic R&B track centered on persistent longing and difficulty moving on from a past relationship, while also being reminiscent of Brown's early work. The R&B mid-tempo "What's Love" features Brown reflecting on repeated heartbreak and emotional confusion, ultimately admitting he doesn't understand what love is after several failed relationships. "Colours" is a pop and R&B song about emotional scars. "Theme Song" is a "bouncy" track about clubbing, dancing and casual hookups. "It's Personal" is a hip hop track that takes a confrontational tone, directly addressing critics and challenging them to "keep that same energy". "Holy Blindfold" was described by Billboard as "spiritual and uplifiting", and is musically influenced by gospel and dream pop. The closing track, "Present", is about rising above hate and criticism while also not being emotionally present for someone he cares about.

Artwork

The album's artwork was unveiled by Chris Brown on April 29, 2026, via social media. It depicts Brown lying on his side while wearing a tan suit and matching fedora, a pose that drew widespread comparisons to the cover of Thriller (1982) by Michael Jackson. The imagery was widely interpreted as an homage to Jackson and other old-school R&B artists who have used similar reclining poses in their album artwork, including Teddy Pendergrass, Luther Vandross, and Lionel Richie. Following its reveal, the cover generated significant online discussion. The artwork also shares some similarly to his debut 2005 self-titled studio album, Chris Brown.

Release and promotion

To support the album, Brown will co-headline the stadium tour “The R&B Tour” alongside singer Usher. In 2025, Brown teased the album on several occasions, including sharing its title on social media and previewing snippets of the songs—"Call Your Name" and "Obvious"—throughout its club appearances, while on the road for his Breezy Bowl XX Stadium Tour. In April 2026, the singer officially announced Brown, confirming its release date of May 8, via social media alongside the album's cover artwork. The announcement came shortly after the release of "Obvious", which served as one of the lead singles from the album. The album's rollout coincided with the announcement of a co-headlining stadium tour with Usher, titled "The R&B Tour", scheduled to begin in June 2026. The tour was positioned as a major promotional effort supporting the album's release. On May 5, Brown revealed the feature lineup through a vintage black-and-white trailer that presented the guest artists as classic R&B-style performers in a fictional "A Night of Soul" show at the "House of Brown", including YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Vybz Kartel, GloRilla, Bryson Tiller, Sexyy Red, Leon Thomas, Tank, Fridayy, and Lucky Daye. On May 6, Brown revealed the full tracklist for the album.

Brown was released digitally on May 8, 2026. On the same day, the music video for "For the Moment" was also released.

On May 20, Brown hinted at the deluxe version of the album on his Instagram account.On June 3, he announced the deluxe edition will be called "Brown: The Chocolate Edition" and was released on June 19, 2026.

Singles

The album's lead single, "Holy Blindfold", was released on June 13, 2025. The song blends elements of pop and gospel with R&B. It was released following Brown's release from police custody in Manchester, England. The song's music video was released on July 30, 2025, just days after his Breezy Bowl XX tour began in the United States. The song peaked at number 89 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 21 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

The second single, "It Depends", was released on July 25, 2025. It was previewed on July 15, 2025, when Brown asked fans whether he should release the song as a single. The track features American singer and tour supporting act Bryson Tiller. It samples Nice & Slow by Usher. The song peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It also reached number 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. A remix featuring Usher was released on October 17, 2025.

Brown's third single, "Obvious", was released on April 10, 2026. Its release coincided with the announcement of the album's release date. The song peaked at number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 13 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

The album's fourth single, "Fallin'", was released on May 1, 2026, just a week before the album's release. The song is a blues track and features American singer Leon Thomas, along with background vocals from Tank. The song's music video was released the same day as its release.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Pitchfork	1.3/10
Soul In Stereo

Upon its release, the album received a mixed critical reception. Billboard gave the album a positive review, stating that "Brown is a 27-track buffet offering up his entire skillset, including some records strong enough to become part of his canon over time", commending Brown's emotional vocal performances, versatility and artistic growth. Pitchfork reviewer Alphonse Pierre was much less favorable. He gave the album a 1.3 out of 10 rating, stating "Chris Brown’s soulless, hit-chasing new album doesn’t justify his return to the public eye."

Commercial performance

In the United States, Brown debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200 with 65,000 album-equivalent units, which included 5,000 pure album sales in its first week, making it his 13th consecutive top-ten album in the country. The album also accumulated 60.31 million on-demand audio streams in the United States for its track list of 27 songs. The album jumped from position 106 to 22 on the Billboard 200, with 24,500 copies sold, after the release of The Chocolate Edition.

Track listing

Brown track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Leave Me Alone"	Chris Brown Nelson Bridges Jamal Gaines Lorenzo Gaines Jemmy Hernandez Cedeno Peter Lee Johnson Jamel McNair William Scott Leland Wayne Kenneth Wilson	Ken Will Johnson[c] Key Bridgez[c] Metro Boomin[c] Jenso "JP" Plymouth[v]	6:03
2.	"Obvious"	C. Brown Tyler Jordan Major Myjah Gabriel Roland Amrita Sen Leon Youngblood	RoccStar Plymouth[v]	3:06
3.	"Honey Pack"	C. Brown Derrick Baker Donny Flores Steven Kubie Cainon Lamb Ryan Press Dashon Vincent	Bigg D Lamb Press Q-Beatz Vincent Plymouth[v]	3:09
4.	"It Depends" (featuring Bryson Tiller)	C. Brown Nico Baran Brian Casey Ant Clemons Jermaine Dupri Ephrem Lopez Jr. Press Usher Raymond IV Manuel Seal Bryson Tiller Elliot Trent Dewain Whitmore Jr.	Baran RiotUSA	4:31
5.	"Fallin'" (featuring Leon Thomas)	C. Brown Clifton Haralson Antonio Moses Myjah Sen Leon Thomas L. Youngblood Prince Youngblood Syhre Youngblood	Haralson Moses RoccStar	4:26
6.	"Hate Me"	C. Brown J. Gaines Amish Patel Alan Sampson	ADP Sampson Plymouth[v]	2:18
7.	"Call Your Name" (featuring Sexyy Red and GloRilla)	C. Brown Leslie Baptiste Paul Beauregard Brytavious Chambers Johnisha Childs Christopher Dotson Edgar Ferrera Sondre Haftorsen Jordan Houston Press Christian Ward Janae Wherry Gloria Woods	Chrishan Haftorsen Hitmaka Press SkipOnDaBeat Tay Keith Plymouth[v]	4:31
8.	"For the Moment"	C. Brown Haralson L. Youngblood	Haralson RoccStar	3:26
9.	"Fuck and Party" (featuring Vybz Kartel)	C. Brown Mario Bakovic Daniel Coriglie Loick Essien J. Gaines Adidja Palmer Dennis-Manuel Peters Trent	T-Town Plymouth[v]	4:37
10.	"Red Rum" (featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again)	C. Brown Kentrell Gaulden Haralson L. Youngblood	Haralson RoccStar RushDee	3:32
11.	"It's Not You It's Me"	C. Brown Omari Akinlolu Dotson Benjamin Lasnier Press Kristian Rosendal Steven Tolson Ward	Chrishan Hitmaka Lasnier Rosendal Plymouth[v]	3:07
12.	"Cry for Me"	C. Brown Akinlolu Paul Cabbin Dotson Major Finley Miles Gregory Mark Hudson Press Tolson Ward	Cabbin Hitmaka Music Major RockBoyBeats Plymouth[v]	2:26
13.	"Say Nothin'"	C. Brown Kass Alexander Ron E. J. Gaines Jean-Baptiste Kouame Lexus Lewis Jenso Plymouth Karl Rubin Tolson	Lewis Rubin Plymouth[v]	3:06
14.	"Slow Jamz" (featuring Lucky Daye)	C. Brown David Brown Kevin Cossom John Hajek Press	Cossom Hajek Press Plymouth[v]	3:30
15.	"Perfect Timing" (featuring Fridayy)	C. Brown Dotson J. Gaines Malachi Haden Seok-jun Han Travis Jasper Tyler Jasper Francis Leblanc Ward	Aye YB Osa Wlcm Plymouth[v]	4:18
16.	"In My Head"	C. Brown Christian Frazier J. Gaines	Fresh J. Gaines Plymouth[v]	2:48
17.	"What's Love"	C. Brown Francesco Busi Darius Coleman Lucas da Mota Siqueira J. Gaines Leonard Lowman Daniel Moras Alex Petit	8een CashMoneyAP Kabeh Moras Skeez Plymouth[v]	3:25
18.	"Something in the Water"	C. Brown J. Gaines Kristian Hossy Luciano Layne Harvey Mason Jr. Gabrielle Nowee Lasse Qvist Brooklyn Sarden Damon Thomas	Hossy Lou Xtwo The Underdogs	3:16
19.	"Won't Let Me Leave"	C. Brown Roland L. Youngblood	RoccStar Roland Plymouth[v]	2:58
20.	"#BodyGoals" (featuring Tank)	C. Brown Durrell Babbs Floyd Bentley Sasha Lee Gregory Lopez Ernest Taylor Jeffery Toney Bobby Turner Jirou Williams	Juberlee SprngBrk Williams Plymouth[v]	2:28
21.	"Colours"	C. Brown Miles Barker Francesco Carlesi J. Gaines Cameron Murphy Woodlair Nosy	Barker Fraka Layrz Murphykid Plymouth[v]	3:28
22.	"Skin to Skin"	C. Brown William Gaines Christopher McDade Wilbert Richardson Troy Christopher Taylor	Troy Taylor U the Goat Willonnabeat Xris Keys Plymouth[v]	2:45
23.	"Theme Song"	C. Brown Dotson Leigh Elliott Sean Momberger Press Jarrett Todd Trent Ward	Hitmaka Keyflo Lee Major Momberger Plymouth[v]	3:03
24.	"Your Time"	C. Brown Alec Appolloni Jesse Blocker III Roberto Diaz Plymouth	Blocker Kyduh Plymouth[v]	2:48
25.	"It's Personal"	C. Brown Andrew Dineen Kevin Ekofo J. Gaines Ebby Marango Tobi Oladigbolu	Drew80HD Ebby Kofo TSB Plymouth[v]	2:57
26.	"Holy Blindfold"	C. Brown Jonathan Bellion Jason Cornet Alexander Izquierdo Jordan K. Johnson Stefan Johnson	Bellion The Monsters & Strangerz TenRoc Teezio[v]	2:46
27.	"Present"	C. Brown J. Gaines Hunter Sallis Wayne	Sallis Metro Boomin[a] Plymouth[v]	3:17
Total length:				92:05

The Chocolate Edition track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Loose"	C. Brown Whitmore Jr. Ellery McKinney Ryan Williamson J. Gaines Mary L. Smith Marty Maro	Rykeyz	2:51
2.	"Man on a Mission" (featuring Wizkid)	C. Brown Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun Justin Smith Andre Carnell Robertson Karim Esmail Vanessa Wood Scott Carter Donald Earle DeGrate, Jr.	Bizness Boi KVRIM Triangle Park	3:52
3.	"Save Me"	C. Brown L. Youngblood Gaines Mishon Ratliff Ethan Sandfort-Marchese Gerald Haddon Jacquez Swanighan Chales Hazlitt Khalifah Macopson	Khalif The Ruler RoccStar	2:49
4.	"Just the Bro" (featuring Tyga and Ty Dolla Sign)	C. Brown Micheal Ray Stevenson Tyrone William Griffin Jr. Tre'Von Waters Kristian Hossy Jefferey Oliver Robinson Akinlolu	Hossy Fresh Ayr HoodyBaby	3:24
5.	"GP"	C. Brown Wilson Bridges J. Gaines Lorenzo Gaines Patrizio Pigliapoco Vurdell Muller Durvin Lucas Dennis Richardson Jamel McNair Kessler Cuffman	Ken Will Keyz Bridgez	3:34
6.	"Nthn2tlkbout"	C. Brown Sonny Bishop Bradley Thomas Kyle Williams T. Taylor J. Gaines Paige Evermore Kefim Simmons	Troy Taylor U the Goat Sonny Bishop	2:43
7.	"4Ever"	C. Brown Muhssiah Lott Michael Mulé Isaac De Boni Thomas K. Williams J. Gaines Tariq Stewart Sahil Datta Angel López	Mizzy Lott FnZ	2:48
8.	"No Signal"	C. Brown Elijah Ross J. Gaines Lance Hunter Anthony Leedel Norris Jakira Shaw Chazara Odom Shanel Blackman	GYW Eli	3:20
9.	"Still Human"	C. Brown Ward Dotson Kristian Rose Rick Anthony	Hitmaka Chrishan Rose Anthony	3:04
10.	"Appreciate It"	C. Brown Babbs Aakash Ravikrishnan Joseph Alonzo Bereal Jr. Robert Newt	AAKASH Tank TVERSE	3:14
Total length:				124:07

Notes

• ^{^[c]} indicates a co-producer
• ^{^[a]} indicates an additional producer
• ^{^[v]} indicates a vocal producer

Personnel

Credits are adapted from Tidal.

• Chris Brown – vocals
• Jenso "JP" Plymouth – engineering
• Sebastian Hedge – engineering (track 14)
• Patrizio "Teezio" Pigliapoco – mixing
• Emiliano Olocco – mixing assistance
• Ohad Nissim – mastering
• Liran Goldschmidt – mastering assistance (tracks 1–3, 5–25, 27)
• Nick Anderson – engineering assistance (2, 5, 8, 10, 19, 20)
• Tank – background vocals (5)
• Ebby – background vocals (25)

Charts

Chart performance for Brown

Chart (2026)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)	16
Australian Hip Hop/R&B Albums (ARIA)	1
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)	99
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)	119
Canadian Albums (Billboard)	16
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)	17
French Albums (SNEP)	58
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)	77
Irish Albums (IRMA)	89
Japanese Digital Albums (Oricon)	37
Japanese Download Albums (Billboard Japan)	29
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)	5
Nigerian Albums (TurnTable)	18
Norwegian Albums (IFPI Norge)	35
Portuguese Albums (AFP)	29
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)	7
UK Albums (Official Charts)	17
UK R&B Albums (Official Charts)	4
US Billboard 200	7
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)	3